The Party By Robyn Harding + My Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe in Book Club, Fall, Food, Life, Recipes, Style on 09/06/17Hey peeps! I hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend and your September is off to a great start. I spent the past few days hanging in the Chicago burbs with Francis (bae) and my bonus fam! We were treated to some wonderful cooler temperatures, got all cozied up, ate at our favorite restaurants, watched movies, it was the best! I spotted some leaves already changing colors (crazy, right?!) and I started seeing pumpkins being sold at all the grocery stores, so I think it’s safe to say that my all time favorite season is upon us… And I seriously could not be more excited. One of my favorite ways to spend a lazy Sunday in the fall is to curl up with a good book and my homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe! I started making this my junior year of college and would get up early before classes just so I could make it. It’s super easy, relatively healthy, and SO good; way, way better than the Starbucks version! Blanket // Skull // Sofa // Coffee Table // Throw Pillow I’m going to add the recipe to the bottom of this post, but I first wanted to share with you the latest book I seriously could not put down (and didn’t!). This recommendation came from my friend Jen from The Fashion Magpie. Jen also features a “Book Club” series on her blog and we thought it would be fun to both read Robyn Harding’s The Party, and share our thoughts. I had been going through a major psychological thriller/murder mystery book phase over the last 6 months or so, (for anyone interested I highly recommend All The Missing Girls, Local Girl Missing, and The Good Girl), so I was excited to mix things up and turn my attention to something just as dark in all sorts of different ways… The Party tells the story of the wealthy Sanders family, parents Jeff and Kim, who live in their multi-million dollar San Francisco dream home, with their two children. Kim fills her days with Pilates classes, juice bar runs, and her part time job, which allows her to self-admittedly, keep a foot in the door of the working world while still being able to be a stay at home mom and give her kids healthy after school snacks first hand. Jeff works for a prestigious and impressive Silicon Valley tech company, does triathlons, and resonates best with the 30 something year olds at his company. Their bright, sweet, and trouble-free daughter Hannah is turning 16, and being the easy-going teenager that she is, decides to forgo an extravagant bash and invites four of her friends over for pizza, cake, movies— just your average sleepover. That night, an accident of unimaginable consequences occurs in the Sanders basement, brought on from the most inconceivable circumstances, shocking Jeff and Kim, the parents of the other girls, and their entire elite community. The Sanders’ picture perfect life slowly begins to unravel, their deepest and darkest secrets beginning to surface, their friends becoming their enemies and greatest threats… They are forced to face the fact that their “perfect” daughter is not the honor-roll, piano playing “nice girl” they think she is, every parent’s worst nightmare. I read this book in a sitting; it’s a page turner, shifting between the point of views of Jeff, Kim, and their daughter, as well as the mother of one of Hannah’s friends. I personally love novels like this, because you always get something different from each narrator, and it makes it a lot harder to gage what will happen next. The plot has a “who-done-it” type of mystique, with each chapter revealing more and more of the truth, while continuously leaving you guessing of how this whole mess turns out… Especially as the situation goes from bad to worse. The exploration into the dark side of the “perfect American family” is always very interesting to me; none of these characters are innocent, but they aren’t monsters either. So there is definitely something relatable in this; you see their humanity and realness and it’s almost like this could have happened to anyone. And I think that’s what gives this novel it’s sense of eeriness. It’s dark, plagued by moments of normalcy juxtaposed with the heinousness of human capacity. As much as I enjoyed reading this, I do think there was some lacking depth in character development and story arch. I would have loved to see more of a build with this story line. The novel opens right after the accident in the Sanders’ basement occurs, and although there is a little bit of flashback and narrative leading up to the night of the sleepover, we know exactly what happens pretty early in. Granted, there are plenty of other hooks to keep you engaged and turning the pages; I just would have liked to see Harding up the ante and shock value on this a bit. But overall, a fast paced and entertaining read. Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe Like I mentioned, I’ve been making this particular homemade pumpkin spice latte for years now. You can use whatever kind of milk you like best, my go to is a vanilla unsweetened almond milk, and you can always have a higher coffee to milk ratio or make it sweeter if you’d like (below is my perfect cup o’ pumpkin-spice -joe!) What You Need (1 serving) 1 1/2 cups milk of your choice 1/2 cup brewed coffee (the key is using good quality grounds, I currently LOVE Intelligista) 1 1/2 tablespoons canned, unsweetened pumpkin 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons maple syrup pinch of cayenne pinch of salt What You Do Brew your coffee. In a small pot over medium heat, add your milk. When it starts to simmer, add in the pumpkin and whisk until there are no clumps. And the rest of the ingredients and stir. Enjoy! Sometimes if I’m feeling extra extra I’ll add some homemade whipped cream, (this vegan coconut cream recipe has been my go to forever) and then sprinkle more cinnamon on top. It’s seriously the coziest drink ever and perfect for getting into the fall spirit! Shop My Mug